Switching Views
by Saberpilot
Summary: Things get weird as a new adventure begins leaving some of the DigiDestined with some changes of age. (FINISHED)
1. The New Views

Hi, I'm a new writer, so please be kind & don't flame me.. However, Reviews are encouraged.  
  
Disclaimer: No, I don't own Digimon or any of its respective characters, ideas, or plots. Yes, I wish I did.  
  
means someone's thinking  
  
SWITCHING VIEWS- Part One  
_________________________________________________________________________  
  
Matt and TK were strolling along with the others, comfortably playing the caboose of the 8 children. Matt glanced over his shoulder at his brother. He still had mixed feelings about TK's new authority within the group. He sighed. It was indeed a hard thing to accept.   
  
He's so grown up now. He doesn't need me any more. Ever since that 'playtime' with Puppetmon he's just, well.. so...   
  
He sighed again, at a loss for words. Even thinking about it hurt his head. TK looked up at him questioningly, but Matt just kept on walking along.   
  
He hides his feelings in deep. Matt is my older brother, and I do look up to him, but sometimes I wonder whether he doesn't need an older brother. He's always there for me when I need him and listens to my problems. Why doesn't he share his problems with me?   
  
TK then pondered the thing he had been wrestling with all week. The thing he knew that was holding his brother back from him.   
  
It's because I'm too little to him. He thinks I'm the one that needs someone to talk to, not himself. And because of that, I'll never be able to help my brother.  
  
And with that thought, he hunched his shoulders, continuing their journey on the beating path that kept them traveling farther into the horizon. Little did TK know that things might change along the way...   
  
Up ahead, Tai and Kari were having a similar conflict, although theirs was more voiced than that of Matt's and TK's "conversation".  
The group had stopped due to everyone's being weary and tired. But it didn't appear that Kari & Tai were tired, from the way that they were staring each other down.  
  
"Kari, I'm tired of this!" Tai said, looking directly at his sister.   
  
"What, Tai. Are you tired that maybe somebody besides Matt has the guts to think you're wrong about some executive decision that you've chosen to make? Are you tired of dragging your little sister along? Sometimes I wonder at you, Tai. You are older than me, but act younger! I'm tired of your treating me like a little kid!"   
  
Everyone looked at Kari in shock. Kari was not the type for loud outbursts or yells. It almost seemed against her nature to be so foreboding and angry. Sora was the first to break the awkward silence.  
  
"Um guys.. do you two really have to fight? We aren't strong when we're not united, you guys know that, right?? Guys?" Sora felt like she was talking to thin air as she saw that the siblings were still staring daggers at each other.   
  
"He's had this coming to him for a long time, Sora," said Kari. "He can't handle that maybe sometimes his little sister acts older than him- In fact," Kari smiled, "I think that he is younger than me, inside. He's just a spoiled little baby."  
  
"Oh yeah?!?" Tai asked, looking at his little sister. "You don't know how easy you have it to be young, Kari. You don't have any responsibilities, you're free, you're young! All you have to worry about is when we're going to stop and how Gatomon is, while us older ones are the ones with the responsibility!"  
  
Sora was growing more worried by the moment. If these two kept it up, they could split up the group. Mimi looked extremely pale because Sora knew she hated fighting. Then, Sora heard a noise from directly behind her.   
  
It was TK, and he looked angry as well. Sora doubted anyone had ever seen this little, angelic boy grow so furious. He had turned around and was staring down his brother, much like Tai.   
  
"OK MATT, WHAT'S THE MATTER???" he screamed at Matt, who was very much taken by surprise.   
  
"Oh, nothing that concerns you, little brother," Matt said, not realizing he had just made one of the biggest mistakes of his life.  
  
TK then did the unexpected and leaped onto his brother's chest, throwing Matt to the ground. He held his older brother to the ground. You couldn't tell whether Matt was more surprised or shocked!  
  
"MATT!! I'M TIRED OF YOU TREATING ME LIKE A CHILD!! NOW TELL ME WHAT'S WRONG!!!! YOU DON'T ACT LIKE AN ADULT, CONCEALING YOUR FEELINGS! NOW TELL ME!"  
  
Matt looked bewildered, then realization set in as he thought about what TK had said. The anger was boiling within him, and he couldn't keep it bottled for long.  
  
"TK!! I'm doing this out of responsibility! I won't have you hurt, so I won't tell you my problems! It's one of the things you do when you're older. I won't burden you with that load!!"   
  
Mimi started to cry.   
  
"WHY CAN'T EVERYONE JUST GET ALONG??!" she wailed to nobody in particular. Mimi went over to the bushes and sat, like she had when Matt and Tai had been fighting, earlier in the month.   
  
And another noise was grabbing Sora's attention. Now Izzy was acting strangely towards Joe. His eyes were red enough to match his flaming hair.  
  
"Joe, I am tired of this.. this.. being treated like a child! Of all of you, I am the most knowledgeable of people! And you.. all you do is, Oh, let me check this.. Oh, let me check that.. Well, I'm sick of it! Everyone treats you with the utmost respect because of your seniority through age. Nobody treats me with any respect! It's oh, yes. Thank you Izzy, or gee, stop typing Izzy. WELL I'M SICK OF IT!!!"  
  
Joe was dumbfounded. He started yelling back. Tai and Keri were still at it. Matt and TK were on the brink of no return. The air was filled with yells and screams toward each other. Mimi was wailing, and Sora was the only one who felt that had not lost her marbles.  
  
Suddenly, from the East, came a dark figure. It looked like.. No!  
  
"Guys!" Sora yelled to the others. They continued arguing. "GUYS!!" she yelled at them once again and they stopped once again. Standing right above them was Piedmon. The children sprung into action.   
  
Whoa! Agumon Warp-Digivolve to... WarGreymon!  
  
Gabumon Warp-Digivolve to... MetalGarurumon!  
  
Biyomon digivolve to... Gaurdramon!  
  
Gomamon digivolve to... Zudomon!  
  
Patamon, digivolve to... Angemon!  
  
Gatomon, digivolve to... Angewomon!  
  
Tentomon, digivolve to... MegaKabuterrimon!  
  
Palmon, digivolve to... Lillymon!  
  
The children faced Piedmon respectively with their digimon. However, Piedmon did not attack. He looked at them with almost a half-grin.  
  
"So," he said in that melodramatic tone of his, "the digidestined are fighting amongst each other due to problems in your age differences."  
  
Tai spoke up. "That's none of your business. Now state your purpose and go."  
  
"Oh, but it is my purpose," he said and smiled an evil grin. "Now it's time to play, children. AGE CHANGE WARP!!!!" he yelled.  
  
The digimon de-digivolved back into their in-training forms. (except for Gatomon, since we know she's a champion already.)  
  
Right before losing consciousness, Tai could've sworn that things were going weird on him. Was it just him, or was everything growing bigger?  
  
Sora and Mimi stood in silence as the others got hit by the full blast of Piedmon's attack. It was weird, and they could have imagined it, but were they.. glowing?  
  
Sora stood in shock. They looked, well, dead. But she went to Tai's side, and found him still breathing. She breathed a sigh of relief.   
  
"Mimi, could you check on the others?" she asked her. Without hesitation, Mimi also went and checked on the other kids. All of them were alive. Thank goodness.   
  
"Well, Sora, I think we're staying here for the night," she said as cheerfully as possible. "I'll go collect some wood. You can stay here and keep a watch on the others." She motioned to Palmon, and they set off.   
  
"Oh, Biyomon, what could've happened to them?" She asked her friend. Then she noticed something. Unless she was mistaken, Tai looked different somehow. She didn't understand how, or why, but… And then it hit her as she looked upon Matt and TK. They were lying side by side, Matt in a protective position trying to block his brother from getting hit. But the thing that shocked Sora so much was that TK was taller than Matt. And if her eyes didn't deceive her, TK looked as old as his brother had a minute ago.  
  
Joe was the first to awaken. He noticed Sora coming towards him, worried.   
  
"Joe! We were so frightened. Are you OK?" she queried of him.   
  
"I'm fine," Joe answered. He noticed the others were down and out of it, then stood up weakly. He looked up to Sora..   
  
Wait a second here, he thought. I'm supposed to be taller than Sora.  
  
Then he looked at Izzy, laying on the ground. He seemed a good foot taller than he had a few hours ago. Then it hit him.  
  
"AHHHHHHH!!!!!" he screamed. "I'M A CHILD!"  
  
Well, what do you think? More coming soon!  
  



	2. Wisdom before Knowledge

Disclaimer: As I said last time, I do not own Digimon, or any of it's respective characters, plots, or themes. I still wish I did.  
  
Recap by Sora: It was weird. We were all out minding our business when everyone seemed to be fighting with one another. Suddenly Piedmon showed up and we all were digivolved to our highest forms, but even that didn't help. He used some kind of "AGE CHANGE WARP" to do something to all my friends. It seems that Mimi and I weren't affected, but what am I going to tell the others when they wake up either younger or older than they already were?  
  
I've gotten some excellent reviews so far. I hope you enjoy the rest of the series. I'm not exactly sure of how many I'll have when I'm done, but probably no more than 4 or 5.  
  
means someone's thinking  
  
  
SWITCHING VIEWS PART 2  
  
  
Joe was of course freaked, Sora was freaked, and that did not make for a good combination. It was weird. Joe was now shorter than Sora.. and Izzy.. Well, none had woken up yet save for Joe.   
  
Sora didn't know what she was going to tell them when they woke up. Mimi had spent some time with Joe, trying to calm him down. When it finally seemed that nothing would work, Gomamon offered to take Joe to a secluded area of the beach and try and talk some sense into him. Mimi only hoped that he was successful.   
  
Tai woke up with the feeling that he'd just had a bus slammed into him. Groaning, he tried to sit up, but felt exhausted by the effort. Fortunately, Sora came to his side.   
  
"Tai! You're awake! How do you feel?" she queried. Tai looked up at her from his laying position. Somehow she seemed a little bigger than she had been a couple hours ago. He supposed it was just the light.   
  
"Like a steamroller ran over me. What happened?" he asked Sora. She looked away from him. Were his eyes deceiving him, or was she just being a little secretive about something?  
  
"Tai, after the blast," Sora paused. She didn't know how to tell him this....  
  
"What? Am I disfigured or something!?!" He asked Sora. "What happened during the blast?!?"  
  
"Tai, maybe you should get up," Sora said uncomfortably. "There's something.."  
  
Sora helped Tai up from his precarious position. As he stood, he noticed Sora was a whole lot taller than usual. She sat down right beside him and could see eye to eye. She started to cry, holding her head in her hands. He didn't understand. What had happened? Then Kari started to move. He went over to his sister's side. And he realized…  
  
"AHHHHHHH!!! What happened to me?? Why did I shrink? What's going on? He lashed himself upon Kari with an evil glare. Kari looked back in fright and confusion.   
  
"Tai.. what happened?" she asked her older brother, who was helping her up.   
  
"It seems that I've gotten shorter," he told her irritably. But then he thought about it. If he had only gotten shorter, why was Kari as tall as Sora…..  
  
Kari noticed this too. She shook her head, confused, then it clicked. She remembered Piedmon's attack.. What was that again? she thought. Oh, yes… the "AGE CHANGE WARP…. She stared down at her brother.  
  
"Guess what, Tai. We're each other's ages. Now you're nine and I'm thirteen." Kari said rather smugly.  
  
As the two started again to argue, Sora got up from her sitting position and went to check on how the others were doing. The sound of fists banged through the air as Tai tried to hit Kari, who was holding him back.   
  
Izzy had apparently woken up. Instead of the small stature he usually held, he was almost as tall as Joe had been. His red hair had turned a shade of auburn and his face had grown both more rounded and handsome.  
  
He was no longer mad at Joe; In fact, he felt great remorse over what he had said to him. Tentomon was talking to him.  
  
"But Izzy, I thought you'd be happy with your growth in stature. You always did complain about being shorter than the others. And now that you're taller than them, you complain. What's going on?" Tentomon asked Izzy.  
  
"I don't know, Tentomon. It just seems like, well, I've assimilated Joe's responsibility as well as his age." He sighed. "Poor Joe. He seemed beside himself from what Mimi told me. I don't know what came over me. It's not like me to have such an emotional outburst."  
  
Tentomon sighed. At least his friend was looking at this logically. "Izzy, it's OK to be emotional. I mean it. In fact, I often wondered if you were ever going to show your emotional side. There's nothing wrong with crying, you know."  
  
The events of the day had just been too much. Izzy started to cry. Tentomon went over to him and gave him a big hug, trying to comfort his friend. The Crest of Knowledge Izzy may have held, but wisdom in emotions he did not. Izzy sat down on the ground, holding his head in his hands.  
  
"I just want to be myself again," said Izzy miserably. "I'm not supposed to be this age until I've had the experiences that make me this age and maturity. Oh, I'm sorry Joe. I never meant to complain." Izzy let his head down again to cry.  
  
"It's all right," said a voice from behind him. Izzy turned. A small version of Joe came from the woods, followed closely by Gomamon. His blue hair was cut shorter than usual, and his shorter stance was obvious. "You had a right to be angry. It was true that you weren't getting the respect you deserved. And," he said this haltingly, "You were right about me not being much of anything to the group, and that only my age made me important. You were right about everything."  
  
Izzy was stunned. He'd never heard Joe be so pessimistic about himself. Then he saw through it and heard the little child in Joe crying out for a friend. It was what he had been looking for all along, before this accident occurred. He strode over to Joe and sat down to him so that they could be eye-to-eye.  
  
"Joe, first off, I know how you feel. That's what drove me to attack you. Second off, you're a good person and a good friend." He paused, looking at Joe's bewildered look. "Yes, you are a good friend even when you don't realize it. And third…" he paused yet again. "Thirdly, you and I are of equal importance with our skills. It just seemed that you were more valued by the others."  
  
Both nodded to each other as an admission of their statements. Then Joe spoke up yet again.   
  
"Well, since we're stuck like this, I suppose that we'd better go help the others. I wish they'd settle their differences. I'm getting tired of their whining."  
  
They waved over to Sora and Mimi, who joined them. Mimi looked frightened.   
  
"You two aren't going to fight, are you?" she asked, her face nearly just as pink as her outfit from crying.  
  
"No, Mimi, we've buried the hatchet. I just hope that the others can do the same. It'll just make it harder if they keep slugging it out," Izzy said, shaking his head at Tai and Kari, who were still at it. Then a worried expression came onto his face. "What about Matt and TK?" he asked Sora.   
  
"They haven't woken up yet, and I'm starting to get worried. Everyone else is up but them. Matt seemed to get hit the most by the blast, but he couldn't protect TK fully from it. He still got a big punch of the attack."  
  
Now Joe spoke up. "I'll go check their life signs. Izzy, why don't you check to see if there's some way of reversing these effects. Sora, I don't mean to be a bother, but could you separate those two? If I'm right about Matt and TK, then we might have a serious crisis on our hands."  
Mimi looked at Joe in shock. He had never been one to be a leader. Perhaps, she thought, it was some childhood trait that wore off as kids hurt him as he got older. In any case, he was growing quite pale as he sat beside Matt.   
  
"What's the problem?" said Tai.   
  
"The problem is," said Joe, "That Matt transferred his energy from his crest to his brother, so that he would survive. TK will wake up soon enough, but I can't promise that Matt ever will...."  
  
  
Ooooooooo. Cliffhanger. Please Review & Be nice!  



	3. Bindings of Friendship

Disclaimer: What? I don't own Digimon? No, just kidding. I do not own any of the characters, plots, or themes of Digimon. Yes, I wish I did.   
  
Hey, I know this took a while to get up, but if you were in 10th grade and taking all academic courses, you'd understand. I sincerely hope you all enjoy this fic. Thanks to the people who pointed out the discrepancies in my last story. Hopefully this one clears them up a bit. Please read & review SWITCHING VIEWS parts 1 & 2! I enjoy getting your input on these stories. Also, this part is longer than most, due to the fact that it has a lot of stuff in it. (giggles) Also, there's a cute TK/Matt thing in here..   
  
Recap by Joe: It was weird. We were all out minding our business when everyone started to fight with one another, including Izzy and I. Suddenly Piedmon showed up and we all had our digimon digivolve to their highest forms, but even that didn't help us ward him off. He used some kind of "AGE CHANGE WARP" to do something to my friends and I. It was so weird when we woke up. Izzy and I had shifted ages, as had Tai and Kari, and TK and Matt. Unfortunately, Matt didn't seem like he was going to wake. And we were getting scared.  
  
Again, thanks all of you for the fabulous reviews. I hope all of you have enjoyed this so far.. I know that I have!   
  
Means Someone's Thinking!!  
  
SWITCHING VIEWS PART THREE  
  
  
The digi-destined sat in a huddle around TK and Matt, grasping at what Joe had just said. They stood, their faces pallor with worry.   
  
All of Matt's energy from his crest had gone into TK's? I bet Matt did it on purpose. I'd do the same for Kari, thought Tai to himself. Then he realized that the responsibility was no longer his. He grimaced. Why did I have to always be over-protective of my sister? After pondering this, he gave in and told himself the truth. He was lying to himself. He was nothing like that compared to Matt. Matt would have, and probably just did give, his life for his brother. Tai reflected on what a child he had acted like towards the group and his sister. I deserve this, he thought. I deserve to be younger than Kari. She's responsible, not me.  
  
Tai hunched his shoulders as he looked upon Matt. Kari noticed this and felt good. Finally, she thought, He's accepted that he is not the responsible one around here, but that I am.   
  
All stood in silence. Suddenly, a sign of movement came from TK.   
  
"Ugh.. Guys?" he said, blinking his eyes open with obviously great effort. "What happened?"   
  
As he sat up, his crest began to glow. A bluish light came out of it and went into Matt's tag and crest. Watching the light, TK's head swiveled to look at his brother. His face went pure white.  
  
Gone was the "too cool" Matt that they had all known and loved. In his place was a small, defenseless child who looked as if anything could hurt him. He looked very much like TK, but a little more harder for the wear. His hair was spiky and long, as it had always been, but it made him look more mature than his age allowed. His face looked haunted, as if hurt by something inside himself. TK spinned around to look at the others.  
  
"What happened here?" he queried of them. "What happened to Matt?" Then he looked at them more clearly.   
  
Joe was shorter than Izzy, and looked quite younger than he. His eyes were a lighter blue, as well as his hair. His face held no worried marks. Izzy had grown in stature and no longer looked like the young, precocious genius, but like a mature, intelligent young man. Tai appeared around eight years old, whilst Kari towered over him, looking around 12 or 13, and a great beauty, at that. And Matt.. what had happened to Matt?  
  
TK looked down at his own hands.. "Whaa.." the sound escaped his mouth. His hands were huge! And.. and his legs were.. long.. He stood up shakily, his legs feeling like a bowl of jell-o. He noticed that he and Kari were around the same height.   
  
He looked a very handsome young man, much like Matt. He was athletically built, and full of energy. His hair was rather limp compared to Matt's, but it didn't mean it held back his good looks. Rather, it emphasized them more. His hat had fallen off, but he didn't care. All in all, he looked pretty good.   
  
"What happened?" he again asked. Tai began to speak up, but his sister cut him off.  
  
"Well, you see..." Tai started off, but was then shocked to hear Kari silence him.   
  
I guess. Well, next time I'll make sure she doesn't cut me off, thought Tai. Wait a sec here. Kari's acting like I used to! I used to cut her off because I thought I was always the one they looked up to, the one with all the answers. But now that I'm so little, I guess they don't care anymore. Tai looked down dejectedly.   
  
"OK, TK, it's time you knew what happened. You remember Piedmon's attack?" Kari questioned TK. He nodded his head diligently. "Well, it was called.. what was it called again? Izzy?"  
  
Joe plainly noticed the change in authority here. He sighed, and looked at Tai, who was also standing dejectedly. As Kari and Izzy explained to TK the situation, Joe walked over to Tai, and started idle conversation.  
  
"Hey."   
  
"Hey." Tai's face came back up from its position.   
  
"You can't say we didn't deserve this, Tai," said Joe. "After all, we treated them differently when we were their age."  
  
"I know," replied Tai. "But I can't help it. I feel like I'm still the one in charge, the one looking out for Kari. But now she's the one looking out for me."  
  
TK, Kari, and Izzy were now done with their conversation about the order of events that had taken place. Kari beckoned for Joe to come back to Matt's side.  
  
Joe sighed and did as "ordered". As he put his fingers on Matt's neck, he breathed a sigh of relief.   
  
"I'm getting a pulse. He may not wake up soon, but he will wake up."  
  
TK and the others breathed a sigh of relief. TK especially looked rather relaxed. Before Joe's announcement, his face had been a deathly white. Now he looked extremely relieved, as if a huge weight had been dropped from his chest. Then he froze in fear. He headed off towards the woods.  
  
Kari noticed and went after him.   
  
"TK, what's the matter?" she asked, sincerely worried. She turned him towards her, and was shocked to see him crying.   
  
"It.. It's just.." he sighed, then burst forth into tears. "Matt said I didn't understand what it meant to him when I was hurt. Now I know. It's such a heavy weight. I don't know how he took it so easily."  
  
Kari laid a sympathetic arm around him.   
  
"I know just how you feel. However, Tai isn't in the same boat as your brother, and hopefully never will be. However, you can be thankful that he's OK. And don't worry, you'll always have me."  
  
TK looked up at Kari in utter surprise. He hadn't known she felt the same way. He blushed at the comment. However, as he didn't want Kari to see his emotional side, he turned. He quickly dried his eyes and looked over towards where Matt laid. Suddenly, Joe started motioning hysterically for them to come over to where he sat.  
  
"He's starting to move!" said Joe excitedly. TK got up in an instant and hurried over to where his brother laid.  
  
Matt was moaning and whimpering, as if he were having a horrible dream. Tears appeared in his eyes. Behind TK, Tai and Izzy were discussing something.   
  
"But Izzy, I still don't understand. Why was Matt out for so long?"  
  
Izzy sighed. It was just as it had been. A question from a young and inexperienced kid, and an answer from an older and wiser child. "I told you before. In his protectiveness, Matt triggered his energy flow to go from him to TK. Not only that, but Matt had a lot of cell implosions to go through, more than you or Joe, due to the fact that TK is.. um, was so much smaller and younger than Matt. You and Kari are close in height, even if you have a wide range in age. Joe and I aren't that much different from each other, either. TK and Matt.. I can just imagine what his body had to go through. Also, there's the fact that our crests' power saved us from this pain. Matt did not have that protection as he gave it to TK."   
  
Gabumon sat faithfully by Matt, a pained look on his face. Clearly, he was concerned for his partner. Patamon sat beside him, trying to comfort his friend. Suddenly, Matt's eyes began to flutter.   
  
"Guys! He's waking up!" yelled a happy Mimi, who in her faithfulness had never left Matt's side for a moment. Palmon sat on Mimi's lap, sleepy from lack of rest.   
  
TK looked down upon his brother. Suddenly, his eyes opened. He looked as if he were in quite a lot of pain, as if he had been hurt. He looked upwards.   
  
"T.. TK?" he asked. "Is that you?"   
  
Matt tried to sit up, but it was too painful. He squinted, as if he could not see clearly. His eyes became slanted, and eventually opened. He raised his hand to his forehead, clearly sweating. His body began shaking. TK looked at him worriedly, but got up and headed off to the woods.   
  
I can't let Matt see that he's smaller. It'd only hurt him, he thought, and started off.  
  
"Let's get some food into him," said Joe. He looked towards Matt. "Now it's gonna be OK, little guy," he said.   
  
"Huh?" Matt asked. He quickly got up into a sitting position, and grabbed Joe's shirt. "What did you call me?" he asked in a dangerously low whisper.   
  
"Um.. Cool Guy! Yeah.. That's what I said! Cool guy!"   
  
Matt looked around at the nearby woods, ignoring the comments made by Joe. He stood up, shakily. TK looked worriedly at his brother, staying hidden from view. He didn't want to hurt his brother. He had a good idea of how he would react. He'd do the "where's my little brother" speech and search him out from worry.   
  
Matt turned. Kari went white when she saw the expression on Matt's little face. It was one of pure bewilderment and anger. It looked wrong for it to be on one so young's face. Matt realized when he saw Kari tower over him. His voice became cool and forcibly controlled.   
  
"Where's Tai?" he asked. Tai cowered behind his sister. She would protect him.   
  
Matt seemed to know something was afoot. "Again, I ask: Where is Tai? He and I need to have a little chat." His voice suggested that this would not be a pleasant conversation.   
  
Kari spoke up.  
  
"What does it matter, Matt?" she asked him hesitantly. Even though he was small, he gave off an aura that said, "Don't mess with me- unless you want trouble."  
  
Matt tore to the side quickly, noticing Mimi's expression. Mimi hated fighting, and she looked as if she wanted to cry. "Nothing," he said quickly. He looked at Kari. "But what does matter is that TK is OK. Where is he?" he questioned her.   
  
Kari seemed unsure. She looked around her. "He was just here a minute ago.." She was puzzled. Where could he have gone, and why did he leave?  
  
TK ran further into the forest. Matt turned and heard movement within the leaves.   
  
"He went that way," he said. "He's hiding. What happened to us? Why are all of you staring at me so strangely? And furthermore, why is TK hiding from me?"  
  
The kids stared at him, not sure of how to answer, still scared of him. His voice showed worry that they had only seen before when TK had gotten hurt. Of course, now that Matt was little, it came out with a child's innocence, and sounded wrong. His eyes were ablaze with anger. Joe looked away from him, afraid. Braver than he felt, Izzy finally spoke up.   
  
"I can answer the first question," he said quietly. "As for why TK's hiding, that's anyone's guess." He sighed. This was not going to be easy, especially since Matt did not seem to be in a good mood.   
  
"Wait, Izzy," said Gabumon. "Maybe I'd better explain this to him rather than all of you. It might go over better."  
  
Matt was about to object, but saw the logic in it and agreed. He was sitting far away from Gabumon, so he still did not know of what had happened. Gabumon headed towards the lake, and Matt followed.   
  
Sora sighed. "At least there's one problem gone. Now we don't have to explain this to Matt and worry about his reaction. Gabumon can take care of him, right, Biyomon?"  
  
Biyomon smiled. "Of course, Sora."  
  
Meanwhile, near the beach..  
  
"Gabumon! Wait up! Why are you running so far ahead of me?" Matt yelped to him. Man, Matt thought. I never realized this beach was so large!  
  
"Let's just get far away from the others," said Gabumon. He ran a little farther, then stopped near a tree-filled area. Matt panted to run to the spot. Gabumon waited, his heart heavy and sad. He knew what he would tell Matt might break his heart.  
  
Matt stopped running and started walking over to Gabumon, wondering what was up. Why is Gabumon growing as I get near him? It's almost as if he's bigger than me!   
  
Finally, he stood face-to-face with Gabumon. His eyes were dangerously watery.   
  
"Gabumon, what happened?" he asked his friend. "Why are you so tall?"  
  
Gabumon sighed. "I'm afraid that I have not grown taller, Matt.. but that.. Well, come to the lake. I'll show you."  
  
He stepped towards the lake's edge. Matt came over and peered into the water. He gasped in shock. Staring back at him was a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, eight year old boy that he knew all too well.  
  
"No. No, it can't be. No. NO!" he cried. His eyes welled with tears and he leaned against Gabumon, who enclosed him in a large hug. Gabumon's eyes were also filled with tears. Matt's heart was filled with pain. Then he drew out of Gabumon's embrace.   
  
He sniffled, and tried to dry his tears. Gabumon looked at him sadly, not being able to help his friend with the pain that he was holding inside. He shuffled over to him, sitting beside him and looking at him.   
  
Matt spoke up. "Where's TK? What happened to him? Is he just a baby, now, Gabumon, or..?"  
  
Gabumon sighed. This was going to be the hardest part. He really didn't want to explain. Luckily, he didn't have to.   
  
"No, I'm not."  
  
Matt turned around. Behind them was a blue-eyed, blond-haired thirteen year old who looked like someone he knew, but he couldn't place it. The young man's face was serious, and dark, as if he had been crying over something. An orange and white digimon sat upon his shoulder. Then it hit him.   
  
"TK?!?" He yelled and flew straight at his brother, fists raised. TK ducked the first throw, then grabbed Matt's arm.   
  
"Matt! Calm yourself!" he yelled at his older (now younger) brother. Matt was enraged beyond rage. His eyes were like fire itself, dark and red. TK had never seen him like this before. He held him back easily from himself, holding Matt's arms and tackling him to the ground without effort. Matt fought his iron-like grip.  
  
"TK!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!? LET ME GO!" he squirmed under his brother's grip, eyes watering. His emotions had come out. And Matt didn't want TK to see. TK saw the tears in his brother's eyes and became newly reckless.  
  
"NO!" he yelled, surprising Matt. "Not until you tell me what's wrong!"  
  
Matt quieted quickly. He stopped struggling, and TK withdrew his grip. Matt sat down on the sandy beach and started to cry.   
  
TK felt humbled. His brother was crying. And something painful had caused it. Now was his chance to help his brother. Now was his chance to repay him for everything Matt had ever done for him. He went over to him and sat down beside him, putting his arm around his brother's shoulders.  
  
Matt's eyes were red. He looked up at TK. He couldn't let him see. No, it was too late. He sighed. "What is it, TK?"  
  
TK carefully thought about how to word this. "Matt, I know something's been bothering you lately. I see it in your eyes, and even in your smile. You tried to hide it from me when I was little because you thought I wouldn't understand, but now, it's not like that. Now I'm the big one who you're supposed to invest your worries in. So, please, do me a favor and tell me what's on your mind."  
  
Matt thought this over. Then he spoke. "TK.. I'm sorry. About everything. About mom and dad getting divorced, about my treating you different, about this."  
  
TK was stunned. Matt continued.   
  
"The reason I've been secretive lately is simple. You don't remember all too well, but five years ago, this is when mom and dad had their big fight." At this he paused, choking up. He cleared his throat and continued. "When I saw my reflection in the pond, that did it. This is the age I was when they fought. I protected you from their screams by covering your ears and putting you to bed. I sat there, alone, in the dark, watching out for you and hearing every word they said. I still always felt it was never enough. But I did what I could. That night, mom took you away from me and dad to the other side of the city."  
  
TK sat there stunned. He'd never expected something like this. He leaned over and gave his brother a strong embrace, tears in his eyes. "I never knew. I'm sorry, Matt. I'm sorry."  
  
His brother looked up to his face, eyes watery as well. "I know. That's why I never told you."  
  
TK smiled at him and said, "I'm glad you did. Now I helped you instead of the other way around." He and Matt smiled and withdrew from their embrace. They sat down on the beach with their digimon, watching the tide come to shore and the sun set.   
  
"Hey, TK," Matt said. TK looked over. "Yeah?"  
  
"Do you think it's really true?"   
  
"Hmm. What?"  
  
Matt smiled. "That brothers can only grow stronger through time."  
  
Now TK smiled. "I guess so."  
  
They sat there like this for a while, both content and happy. As Matt started to drift off, TK thought to himself, Matt, thank you. You let me see the part that you keep hidden. I love you, brother.  
  
Suddenly, a red streak flashed through the sky. The boys thought nothing of it until they heard a scream. Matt jumped up.   
  
"MIMI!"  
  
  
Well? What do you think? Comments, Reviews! I hope you liked this part, I know I sure did!   



	4. Courage to reLight

Disclaimer: Guys, I must admit.. the girl you all know and love.. does not own digimon. (gasps go up throughout the crowd) Yes, I know it's a shock...   
(reporter stands up)   
"M'am, can this be true? The illustrious WhitneyJade does not own Digimon?"  
No, I don't. Sorry!   
  
Sorry I've been so late.. A teen's life can be extremely busy... I just hope that you like this part!  
  
Means Someone's Thinking!  
  
SWITCHING VIEWS.. PART FOUR!  
  
  
Recap by TK: A couple days ago, something strange happened! Piedmon came and did something called an "AGE CHANGE WARP." When we all woke up, we had all switched ages.. Joe and Izzy, Tai and Kari, and Me and Matt! Matt was pretty upset when he woke up and found out, but I later got to know why.. Then it happened as we were drifting to sleep.. We heard Mimi scream! What could have possibly happened?  
  
  
It had been late that night, and Mimi had wanted a swim, all by herself. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the others had already fallen asleep. Joe lay in an almost fetal position against Gomamon, looking like a scared child. Tai slept over near the forest clearing, Augumon clearly in a protective position. Over on the other side of camp, Kari and Sora laid out under the stars, their digimon also resting. Even Izzy had stopped his monotonous typing. Mimi gave a sigh of relief. No one was awake to bother her. She was confused about this whole situation, and she needed time to sort it out.   
  
She took off her shoes and socks, abandoned her pink cowboy hat, then dived into the deep, still river. Her head broke surface, the droplets of water cascading off of her auburn hair as she rose. She played a little in the river, doing simple strokes across the water.  
  
This is perfect. she thought to herself. All of the problems of the past few days behind me, no one to reprimand me for taking time for myself. She sighed. They all think me selfish- why is that? She pondered this fact for a short while, reminiscing current events. Then an idea surfaced.   
  
She kept her head up so as not to cry. All I do is complain to them- and I say dumb things. Things no intelligent person would say- only those that have no clue. As she wept, she thought, It's a good thing that I'm in water. The river hides the pain of my tears.  
  
But Mimi did not count on the fact that there was someone watching her. Or rather, something. It gazed upon the young girl behind darkened shades, waiting, watching. It had waited for revenge for a long, long time. These kids had before killed off his evil plans. It was long time to make them pay. The figure scuttled through the woods silently, stalking its prey..  
  
What's that? thought Mimi. A rustling in the bushes caught her attention. A gleam of metal flew by. Mimi started to shiver from the cold water, or so she tried to convince herself.  
  
I think I'll just get out now.. thought Mimi to herself. She gently paddled into shore, pulling herself up onto the bank. She slipped her shoes on and wrung out her hair on the grass. Mimi pulled her arms around her sides.   
  
It's so cold! I better get back now. The others might have missed me by now. And with that, Mimi reached down for her hat. As she did, a cool, metallic sensation ran down her hand. She tried to pull back, but it gripped her like iron. A silver hand pulled her along with her hat. The young girl struggled against the hard grasp. But it was too firm a grip to escape. Exasperated and frightened, Mimi screamed in terror.   
  
Back at camp, a boy named Izzy jerked to life.   
  
"MIMI!" he yelled, and an echo responded from beyond the woods. Izzy scrubbed his hair out of his eyes and rubbed them raw. "MIMI!"   
  
By this time the others had indeed woken. Sora made her way to Izzy's side first.   
  
"What's the matter, Izzy?" she asked, her voice slightly shaky. "Did you have a bad dream?"  
  
Izzy sounded like that of a sane man thrown into the jaws of an insane asylum. "Mimi- hurt- Etemon- still- alive.. Sincerity's- demise.." He started rocking back and forth rather timidly, eyes unfocused and wandering. His hair caked with sweat. Tentomon came near his friend, worried.  
  
"Izzy? Oh, digiworld to Izzy? Is anybody there?" Tentomon asked his friend worriedly, then progressed to tapping Izzy on the shoulder, hoping to get some sign of life. At the slightest touch, Izzy's eyes refocused, and then he fell to the ground, exhausted, as if he had been awake for days. Tentomon stepped back in surprise, then saw that Izzy was shaking. He moved forward to give his friend warmth, but was surprised to feel that his skin was ice cold.   
  
Kari had awoken by this time, and seeing the situation, she climbed up a tree to think about what to do. This leadership stuff is hard. I wonder how Tai does it. She looked over at her brother. He was still asleep, oblivious to the chaos ensuing around him. Again, she faced Izzy. Tentomon's expression toward his friend sent an ice cold spear into her heart. Then, almost instantly, she knew something was wrong.   
  
"KARI! KARI!" Tentomon flew up to Kari. "Kari, he's not breathing! He's still shaking and he's ice cold! KARI HELP HIM!" Tentomon grabbed Kari by the sides of her shirt in desperation. His insectoid eyes were filled with worry for Izzy. Kari gasped, then recollected herself enough to call in for the "professional".  
  
"JOE! Joe, get over here!" yelled Kari from her perch. Joe got up dejectedly and made his way over to Izzy, grumbling about the late hours of the night and how people regarded them unimportant in reference to sleep. Then he saw Izzy. He immediately rushed over with his med bag, pulling out medical equipment as he went along.  
  
"He's not breathing! Someone help me!" He rummaged through his med kit, then yelled out in desperation, "WHY DIDN'T THEY PUT THE STUFF I NEED IN THIS KIT? Now my friend's going to die.." Joe started to weep, but Gomamon tried to put him back together.   
  
"What do you need, Joe? Perhaps we digimon can help." He looked up hopefully at his partner, knowing that the crest of reliability would shine through.  
  
"Not unless we can get some electricity to pump that heart.. Wait! Tentomon!" Tentomon swiveled round. "Tentomon, I want you to shock Izzy."   
  
"WHAT??" yelled Tentomon. Joe wanted him to hurt his best friend? Why?  
  
"You heard me! Do you want him to live or not?" Tentomon didn't even have to think about it.   
  
"ELECTRO SHOCKER!" The electric charges found their mark upon Izzy's heart. His eyes popped open suddenly. His breathing became rapid, and he coughed. He was weak, but that was to be expected from his experience.   
  
As the joyous celebration of Izzy's return from the grave ensued, Kari stayed within the tree, her hands around her knees, head bowed. That was too close, she thought. Izzy could have died if Tentomon hadn't shaken me up. She started to cry silent tears against the fabric of her shirt. Gatomon clawed her way up to Kari's side, trying to comfort her friend.   
  
"It's all right, Kari. Truly it is. Izzy's OK now." said Gatomon.   
  
"No, it's not. Izzy could've died and it would have been all my fault. I feel so awful!" Kari once again started to weep. Gatomon snuggled underneath her chin and tried to comfort her as best as she could. Both were oblivious to the brown-haired boy whose tears were creeping slowly down his newly-young face. The holder of the crest of courage went and wept by himself in a nearby cave, his sister's pain tearing at his heart..  
  
"Matt? What's the matter?" asked TK, towering over Matt.  
  
"I just heard Mimi scream!" Matt yelled. "She might be in trouble!" He got up, ready for action, holding his digivice in his right palm, which seemed to be shaking within his cream-colored gloves. His eyes were open and alert, as if he had just drank around ten gallons of coffee in one sitting. TK saw in Matt's eyes a grim determination that he had only seen once: when he himself had been taken by Puppetmon.  
  
"Matt! Calm down!" TK took hold of his brother's shoulders, and was shocked to see Matt turn in anger towards TK. He quickly regained control of his temper enough to listen to TK.   
"Well, what should we do, TK?" asked Matt.   
  
For once, TK was at a loss for words.. My older brother? Asking what me what we should do? There's obviously been a change in roles here..   
  
"Well?" asked Matt impatiently, tapping his foot. "I asked for counsel.. Will I get any? Or should I just follow my own plan?"  
  
TK thought for a moment, then spoke.   
  
"Well.. First we should go back to the others... And then we can decide on what to do with them. I'm sure they heard her scream too."  
  
Gabumon cleared his throat. "That's a good idea, TK. What did you have planned, Matt?"  
  
"Around the same thing." He stared hard at TK, almost through him. Perhaps he is not so unlike me as I thought.. Matt pondered. In any case, it's our plan and it works.   
  
"Let's get to it, then!" said Patamon, flying off ahead enthusiastically. TK and Matt smiled at each other and walked back to camp...  
  
Izzy was sitting up in an almost fetal position, head laid in between his legs. Everyone had assumed he would be out for a while, because they had laid him out on a stretcher of sorts. Tentomon stayed beside him faithfully. His red hair was in shambles, his eyes crying freely, no longer afraid of the others' reactions.   
  
Why? he thought. Mimi? Etemon? His mind was scrambled. He had had a vision, a "sight", as he called it. Mimi had been lying in a pool of blood in it, her auburn hair laying a strewn on the ground. Etemon had been there.. but different. He was silver-coated, strong and undefeatable. He had sliced her open.. and..   
  
Izzy stopped thinking about the dream's content and tried to focus on its meaning.  
  
Hmm.. he once again pondered. Let's look at this logically. Etemon must have stole Mimi away for some pretty good reason.. His head popped up in realization. Revenge! That's it! Etemon's angry that we beat him last time.. so he's going to sacrifice Sincerity in front of us.. I wonder how he got a hold of Mimi.. she was probably out for a swim..  
  
"Sora." he croaked. Darn it! he thought. Tentomon looked over at his partner, knowing he was trying to say something. My voice is still dry. Let's try this dance again. He cleared his throat. "Sora."  
  
Everyone at the camp reacted. Joe's head snapped up, stunned. Sora jumped up and ran over to Izzy's side.   
  
"What is it Izzy?" she asked.   
  
"Com- Computer." he managed to hoarsely convey to Sora. She brought his laptop over to him, sitting it on his lap. He moved his arms up to the computer.. My gosh! They feel as though they weigh a hundred pounds! and started up a program that he had written a long time ago. In case they ever would need it..  
  
While Izzy was awake, Kari was asleep in her little tree perch. Tai watched her face contort in pain as she dreamt of the events of the passing day. His heart was almost full enough to break. Gatomon laid upon her side, keeping her warm.   
  
Well, that just won't do, he thought and found Augumon standing right beside him with the blanket he was going to have gotten.   
  
"Thanks, Augumon," he said and cast the blanket upon his sister. He stole a glance at her, looking at her beautiful face.  
  
Sister, how beautiful you are.. You will have all the boys and more when you get older... Wait! She is older.. and I'm.. Tai's thoughts deserted him for a second. Tears started forming. I can no longer protect her.. I'm.. I'm.. He choked. The tears came, freely running down his face. Augumon was thoroughly shocked. He had never seen Tai cry so freely.   
  
Snuggled in Kari's arms, Gatomon woke up. She stared in silent contemplation as she watched Tai sob almost hysterically. Lucky he doesn't notice me, she thought.   
  
Tai got up from his sitting and headed back to his enclosure with Augumon, still weeping. Gatomon was about to prod Kari awake, but turned to find her eyes wide open and staring, tears forming at her own eyes..   
  
"Gatomon," she stated simply. "I have to go after him."  
  
Gatomon nodded sharply, knowingly. She got up off of Kari's lap and pushed the blanket aside. Kari stood up, then remembered that she was still in a tree. She began to sway wobbly and lose footing on her branch..   
  
"Gatomon!" she yelled. "Help me!"   
  
Gatomon tried to help her partner, but Kari was too heavy for Gatomon to support..   
  
Tai heard his sister's scream from his hideout in a cave nearby. His eyes popped wide open from their resting position, worried and filled with fear for his sister.   
  
"I'm coming, Kari!" he yelled and ran for all his life was worth out to the tree. He quickly got frustrated at his little legs for not moving quick enough. He pushed and pushed, all the while seeing his sister totter more and more. When he finally reached the tree, she had lost her footing.   
  
He dived downward towards her projected spot of landing, then tried to catch her as best as he could. Unfortunately, she weighed more than him, and his courageous catch turned into a "soft landing".  
  
He fell downward onto his face, luckily, for tears were streaming down his face shamelessly. As he got up, he tried to wipe away the tears, but too late. Kari sat there sitting, staring at her brother.   
  
No words were uttered, but they really didn't need to be. Kari's throat swelled up and she hugged her brother tightly. Tai embraced her back.  
  
"I'm sorry, sis."   
  
Tai's voice reached Kari's ears and she smiled. "I know, Tai. I'm sorry too."  
  
As the siblings embraced, a small light seemed to surround them. As they broke apart, it disappeared. Tai blinked.   
  
"Did you just see that?" he asked Kari, whose face showed just as much curiosity as his did about the mysterious force at work.   
  
"Yeah.. Tai, something's wrong." she looked down at him.   
  
"What? What do you mean?" Tai asked her, standing up suddenly.  
  
"Mimi's disappearance. There's a reason. He wants to punish us," Kari closed her eyes. As suddenly as she did, a yell came from the woods.  
  
"Tai! Kari!" Matt came out from the woods, his brother in tow.   
  
"T.K!" Kari ran towards her friend and embraced him with a hug. Then both of them got red in the face and turned away. Matt and Tai were talking.  
  
"A little taken with each other, don't you think?" Matt snickered. "Just make sure Kari's not laying her hands on him in the wrong way."  
  
Tai laughed, then Matt said, "In all seriousness, where's Mimi?"   
  
"I don't know. Izzy got hurt earlier.. It was weird, he just looked like he was having a seizure or something.. muttered something about sincerity's demise. He's OK now, though." Seeing Matt's face of pallor, he spoke quickly. "He's been working on something on that computer all day.. I don't know what."   
  
"Something to find Mimi?" Matt queried.   
  
"I think so..At least, I can hope." Tai lowered his voice. "I'm worried. He's been at that computer all day with no food nor water. I think he's more worried than the rest of us put together, and we can't figure out why."  
  
"Maybe he likes her." Matt stated the obvious.   
  
"No, not that. I don't think Izzy likes her that way." Tai smiled. Then he concentrated. "No, it's something else. Something distant."  
  
Just then, another yell came from the woods.   
  
"I've found her!!!!!!!"   
  
All the kids headed towards Izzy. Just when he opened his mouth to speak and tell them of his findings, a long shadow covered the ill boy. He started to gag, and make choking sounds from his throat. Finally, he fell over, exhausted.   
  
"Izzy? IZZY!" Sora yelled at him, then realized that someone was watching them. She turned and stared in horror.  
  
"Etemon..."  
  
  
Well! I FINISHED PART Four! Yay! If any of you have any good ideas, E-mail me... I think this writers block is getting to me. Oh, and please review!  



	5. Wisdom brings Light to Knowledge

Disclaimer: I've got to finish this series! oh, and yeah.. Digimon doesn't belong to me, yada, yada, yada. This is not for sale or anything... yada, yada, yada.  
  
Sora: Things have been getting major weird since Piedmon did that "AGE CHANGE WARP." Luckily enough, Mimi and I were missed by the attack. Thankfully, also, Joe and Izzy, Tai and Kari, and even TK. and Matt have buried the hatchet with their problems! But there's still one problem. Mimi went missing yesterday, and now what are we going to do? And Etemon's showed up now! This is going to be one crazy ride!  
  
means someone's thinking!  
  
CHAPTER FIVE-SWITCHING VIEWS  
  
  
"Hello, little digidestined!" Etemon's voice rang out from behind Izzy's shaking form. The poor boy was violently shaking, like a seizure had come over him. In Etemon's left hand he held up poor Mimi by her cuff, unconscious.   
  
Tai was the first one to speak.   
  
"What do you want, Etemon? We defeated you once already. Why were you so stupid to come back again for another match?"  
  
Sora took in a breath, hoping with all hope within her that Tai had not just made a fatal error in his challenge. Then, something caught her attention.. Izzy was still moving. Crawling, but moving. She ran towards his side, Biyomon trailing.  
  
"Oh, yes. Tai. The leader. How could I forget? But you look so much.. smaller." Etemon's voice laughed so sarcastically. "Oh, and by the way, address me by the proper name- Metal Etemon. Etemon is so out of fashion nowadays."  
  
Tai gritted his teeth together. His fists clenched, he shouted back towards the advancing enemy. "Yeah, so I'm smaller. SO WHAT?" Kari looked at him in disbelief. What was her brother thinking?  
  
"Yeah, so I'm shorter. I don't care. As long as there are bullies like you in the Digital World, I'll always be there to stop you. For I am the bearer of the crest of Courage!"  
  
Tai's speech made Kari speechless. So this is what makes Tai a good leader. This is what a leader needs to be able to do. To speak up and defend the group he leads. To take charge of the situation. She sighed. Oh why, oh why did I ever think that I would ever be a better leader than Tai?  
  
Tai seemed to realize what his sister was thinking. He looked up at her with his wild eyes full of bravery and grasped his sister's hand.   
  
"Don't worry, sis. Everything'll be alright. I promise."   
  
With their joining of hands, something happened to Tai and Kari. A glow, mixed of Pink and Orange, started to swirl around them. Their eyes were filled with determination.   
  
"Leave her alone, big bully, and drop her this instant!" Kari's voice came from the swirling cloud.   
  
"Do it and you may just survive!" said Tai, from somewhere.  
  
The cloud around them had grown so thick that none of the other digidestined could penetrate within it and see what was happening. Lightning streaks shot through it all. Sora looked up from her spot with Izzy.   
  
"What's happening?" Biyomon asked her.   
  
"I don't know, Biyomon," she answered. "I don't know."   
  
Suddenly, Izzy began to stir.. "They will emerge strong.. strong.. stronger." he paused. Sora blinked down at him in his sorry condition.   
  
"What??" she said.   
  
"The radiance of purehearted friends and siblings will be released, and the darkness will be overcome." he said. Then, once again, he passed out. Sora looked at him again, then asked Biyomon in disbelief, "Where is he getting this stuff?"  
  
The cloud was now like a wall. Metal Etemon started to back away. Suddenly, the cloud broke into a pillar of light. And inside the light..  
  
"Tai!" Joe yelled. "I don't believe it.. he's back to normal!"  
  
Tai and Kari were back to their normal ages and heights. But there was something else about them that was different. Tai's eyes were filled with determination and certainty. He looked down at his sister, equally determined. He allowed himself a grim smile, then said, "I hope you don't mind this, do you?"  
  
She smiled back and said, "No. This is the way it was supposed to be." She said, "Are you ready?"  
  
"As ever!" She and Tai took out their digivices and suddenly their crests shone with an awesome light.  
  
Augumon Warp-Digivolve to... MetalGreymon!  
Gatomon Digivolve to... Angewomon!  
  
The two children and their digimon stood silently, determined to beat the enemy to a pulp. Metal Etemon seemed less sure of himself, but he still stood his ground. MetalGreymon started in, but Metal Etemon said to him threateningly,  
  
"One step closer, and it will be Sincerity's end."  
  
Tai and Kari stood determinately from their positions. "Back, both of you," Tai said to MetalGreymon and Angewomon. Metal Etemon laughed heartily.   
  
"That's the problem with being a good guy. You are bound by the rules." laughed Etemon. "That's why bad guys will always have the edge." He laid down Mimi by the edge of the river and stood in wait of the digidestined's verbal assault, sure to come. He smiled. "And lucky me, I get the girl."  
  
"No way!" yelled Matt. "I will not let you hold a finger on her!" he started to blush a little, after TK's look of wonder at his brother jolted him. He corrected himself. "None of us will! I care for Mimi like a sister, and I will not let some metal-plated jerk hurt her!"  
  
Metal Etemon smiled at this. "Oh no? Well then, what about your brother? I guess you wouldn't mind if it were him instead, would you?" The beast held one arm behind his back. Matt started to look over at TK, then started to realize how close to Etemon he was, and how easily the beast could wipe the life right out of his brother. His skin paled.  
  
"Too bad for you, you'll lose two people you love in one day.. Metal Electric Charge!"   
  
The attack screamed itself towards TK, who had only just turned to see it coming. He looked over towards where his brother had been to say his final good-byes, but he was not there. He thought to himself, So this is how it has to end. Good-bye, Matt. He closed his eyes and waited for the attack to hit him head on.   
  
But it never hit.   
  
TK opened his eyes to a horrifying sight. Matt had jumped in front of him just as the attack was about to hit. Finally, his body stopped jerking and fell towards the ground.   
  
"MATT!" TK rushed over to his brother's side to see a surprisingly calm Matt jerking on the ground. His blue eyes seemed to be filled with not anger, but love.   
  
"Matt- Why? WHY?" TK started to sob on his brother's chest. Matt looked up at him and smiled, as best as he could. .   
  
"This is the way it has to be, little brother. No matter your age or size, you'll always be my little brother. You know that, right?" TK nodded through his tears. "Take care of the others for me. And dad and mom."   
  
There's rain falling all around me, thought Matt, then realized it was TK's tears. Again he tried to ease his brother's pain.   
  
"I'll be OK where I'm going, TK. Don't worry." He took in his last breath. "I love you, TK."  
  
Tai and the others crowded around him. "Hold on, buddy," Tai was heard to mention. But it was too late, as Matt's weight was pushing farther into the ground. Gabumon started to cry softly off towards the distance.  
  
TK could only feel a heart-throbbing pain like no one could imagine. "I'm sorry, Matt.. I'M SORRY! Why? WHY?" He looked at his brother once more, then said, more softly this time, "I'm sorry Matt.. and I love you, too."  
  
Suddenly, even though he appeared dead, Matt's crest began to glow. Softly at first, then stronger. TK stopped crying in amazement. His crest began to glow as his hopes grew stronger. Matt's breath started to come back to him. A singular strand of light started to form around them. Blue and gold intertwined around the brothers' beings as a stronger power went to work.   
  
Etemon started to become afraid. This was too much.. If all the children could fight against Piedmon's attack without any extraneous help.. Well, as long as the other two didn't return to their former ages.. He allowed himself a brief smile..   
  
That red-haired one is the key. He's been all along. Lucky for me, it looks like he'll never wake up. He laughed aloud.   
  
The beams of light pushed back the other digidestined as stronger around the brothers they formed. Suddenly, Patamon and Gabumon were engulfed by the light as well, and the innards of the beam of light became opaque. Suddenly, the light broke into millions of shards of light.   
  
The small shards revolved around the two. TK had become his correct age, as well as Matt. He sat by his older brother's side, praying and hoping that his brother would survive. Gabumon and Patamon shone with an eerie light cast over them both. Suddenly, Matt's eyes began to flutter. His crest shone with the deepest blue hue than it had ever been seen by any of the digidestined.   
  
Gabumon cried out, "I can't take the energy!"  
  
Gabumon warp-digivolve to.. MetalGarurumon!  
  
Patamon yelled, "Let's get 'im, TK!"  
  
Patamon digivolve to.. .MagnaAngemon!  
  
Matt almost seemed to levitate off the ground from his lying position. He blinked a few times, regaining what seemed to be his composure. TK looked up at him in pride and love. Matt looked down at him.   
  
"TK?"  
  
"Yeah, Matt?"  
  
"Thanks. I was almost a goner there." Matt looked down at his little brother. He then stared at his hands. "Why.. why, I'm me again! Ha ha!"  
  
While Matt was celebrating, TK almost seemed sad about his change back into his younger self. He peered down at his feet. His brother noticed his disappointment.  
  
"TK?" TK looked up at him with tears in his eyes.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Don't worry.. In a few years, you'll look like that again," Matt winked. "And by then, I can show you exactly how to be the perfect ladies' man!"  
  
TK laughed with him. Their crests became strong lights once more as they hugged. They both grew serious and stood in front of Etemon.  
  
"Etemon, this is your final warning.. surrender or be defeated!" Matt looked up at him.  
  
"So what? Four of you have become your rightful ages.. But the power of your crests shall not come to full strength.. two of you are still switched.. and that means you cannot win.."  
  
Joe looked over at his friend, laying by Sora's side. This wasn't fair. Izzy hadn't asked for any of this.. He'd merely asked for a little respect. He looked over to where his friends were, and they were motioning for him to join in the fight, to leave Izzy behind.  
  
No. He knew that road. It was a road with no chivalry, or honor. It meant that he had no respect for Izzy's well-being. He glanced over at Izzy once more. The auburn-headed kid lay there, just barely breathing.  
  
To be a good friend was to be reliable. And he hadn't been that. Izzy had warned them ahead of time of the coming onslaught, and nobody had taken him seriously. Well, no more.  
  
There's got to be a way to switch us back, he thought to himself. But how? I don't have the knowledge of how to do that... WAIT! The Knowledge..  
  
Much to Tai & the other's shock, he went over to Izzy and tapped him on the arm.   
  
"Izzy?"  
  
Izzy's eyes fluttered. "Yeah, Joe?" He looked very weak. "It's time, isn't it?"  
  
Joe said, "Yeah, but I don't know how."  
Izzy smiled. "Then take my hand, and the Wisdom will come.."  
  
Joe didn't understand, but he grabbed Izzy's glove and slipped his hand inside his friend's. Suddenly, he felt a burst of energy.   
  
"AHHHH!! What the heck's happening?!??"  
  
Izzy smiled weakly. "The time has come."  
  
Two towers of lights, purple and blue, suddenly flew around the two of them.   
  
Matt and the others stood in shock..   
  
"Matt? What's happening to them?" TK asked his older brother.  
  
"I don't know, TK.. I don't know."  
  
The lights became stronger and stronger. Etemon started to pale. "No, the prophesy couldn't have come true… Could it?"  
  
The lights came around them, tighter, and tighter, and suddenly, out of nowhere, a loud crack of thunder came from the sky. A thunderbolt, curiously colored red shot down and shattered the column of light.   
  
Then, the digidestined saw a person standing in the midst of the rubble.   
  
As the dust cleared, Kari was the first to speak.   
  
"Izzy? Joe? Where are you?"  
  
"We're here," said a man's voice. And then the person stepped into view.   
  
A loud gasp came out from all the digidestined. It was not Joe, nor was it Izzy. It almost appeared.. to be both of them.   
  
A muscular man stood out before them. He had purple hair and oddly colored stone grey eyes. He had on glasses, and carried what seemed to be a sword upon his back. He was of a medium stature and wore an orange shirt with some white striped shorts.   
  
"I am Jyoshiro. The bearer of the crest of Wisdom." A strange, short figure also came out of the mist. "And I am Gotanamon, his digimon companion."  
  
The other digidestined stood there in mixed fear and wonder. Finally, Tai spoke up.   
  
"What happened to you guys? You look, well.. like a jogress digivolution, but that can't be! You're human!"  
  
The man nodded at Tai. "The digital world holds many secrets. One of which is that humans can also jogress." Tai gawked.   
  
"You mean, any of us could?"  
  
"Yes, but only in certain situations. Like this." He paused and looked at Metal Etemon, who was shaking. "If humans and their digimon partners both jogress, then there is a level beyond Mega that they can reach. In fact, to a certain extent, we have digivolved." Jyoshiro clenched a fist.   
  
"But on to the specifics later. For now, I believe a certain someone has to have a little talking to."  
  
He faced Metal Etemon, who by now was cowering. "You.. You!!" was all that he could get out.  
  
"That's right, be afraid, little digimon. We are ready." Kari gasped at the sound of the man's voice. It was so.. unlike both Joe or Izzy to stand up. Truly, this must be a digivolution.   
  
"Crest of Wisdom, grant us light!!" the man yelled and whipped out his sword. He held it above his head. It gleamed. A digivice on his sheath glowed.  
  
"Gotanamon jogress warp-digivolve to.. Lekabinomon!!"  
  
"Whoa!" yelled Matt at the sight of the giant digimon. Man, Seal, and Insect seemed to be what was mixed into this creature. He had a full head of reddish hair and blue crystalline eyes. A weird symbol flashed on his chest plate, probably the symbol of wisdom. It gleamed white in the sun. Wings and claws flashed everywhere, as well as a long tail.   
  
"Now, where's Metal Etemon?" asked Jyoshiro.   
  
The metal monkey was hiding behind a bush. The purple-haired man laughed.   
  
"Why are you hiding, Metal Etemon? Surely a Mega isn't afraid of a Pure digimon?"  
  
"Pure!" yelled T.K. "That's what the level must be!"  
  
Jyoshiro merely nodded at the young boy. He allowed himself one small smile, then turned to the massive creature and told him. "Take him out. He tried to kill Sincerity."  
  
Sure enough, the being flew into the sky and formed in his hands what seemed to be a massive electric ball of water. "Hey, Etemon? Surely your metal doesn't corrode, does it?"  
  
Metal Etemon went white as he could get and just flung Mimi to the shore. He knew he was a goner.   
  
"Electric Discharge Submerge!!" The seal-insect let the ball go, and suddenly Jyoshiro flew into the air, with his sword, letting the surge of power go into it. Then, he rammed it straight into Metal Etemon. He disappeared, destroyed.  
  
A glow then surrounded Jyoshiro and Lekabinomon and floated them gently to the ground. When the grass had barely touched their backs, it vanished.   
  
In its wake lay Tentomon alongside Izzy, who had returned to his former age, and Joe, with Gomamon by his side, also correctly aged. Both were unconscious, but it still seemed that Izzy was hurt in some way.   
  
Mimi suddenly awoke alongside the shore.   
  
"Oh!" she yelled and sat up. Palmon rushed to her.   
  
"MIMI!!"  
  
But Mimi seemed to know that something more important than her awakening had happened. She saw the light dim around the grass, and the digidestined crowded around. Nobody spoke a word when she joined the group.   
  
Joe's eyes fluttered. "Wha.. where am I?" He jumped up. "No.. Etemon! Mimi! I.." he trailed off as he saw his friends crowded around. "What's the matter? What happened?"  
  
"Don't you remember? You and Izzy.." asked Sora.  
  
"Well, I remember touching his hand, then I draw a complete blank," mumbled Joe. "I don't know what happened. Did we beat him? Etemon, I mean."  
  
"Yeah, he's gone. But you don't.." said Matt.  
  
"Izzy!" Kari had knelt by his side. "Izzy!" She touched his forehead slightly, and a pink glow seemed to surround her and the boy. His eyes opened.   
  
"K..Kari!" he voiced. "Hi.. Wow. That was some trip. I must have fallen really hard." He saw his fellow digidestined's eyes looking very concerned.   
  
"Izzy? You Ok, my man?" Matt asked him.   
  
"Ye..Yeah. Just a little dizzy. Motor functions are also a bit sluggish." He laughed, exhausted. His friends all laughed with him.   
  
Tai took Matt aside. "I guess neither of them remember. How weird."   
  
Matt nodded. "Best not to say anything. Izzy's really beat up and Joe's wierded out as it is. Let's not chance telling them."   
  
The rest of the day went by, with doctors Mimi and Joe watching their friend and nursing him back to health. Izzy's condition became better throughout the day, and everyone was happy, when, come nightfall, he stood up to stretch his legs.  
  
During the night, Kari came to Izzy's side, wanting to speak to him.  
  
"Izzy?"   
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"Do you remember when you and Joe were.. Well, what I meant is.."  
  
"When Joe and I were combined?"   
  
Kari's jaw dropped. "But I thought neither you or Joe remembered that. Joe said he didn't."  
  
"Joe also does not bear the crest of knowledge. Reliability, yes. It came in handy to form the crest and warrior of wisdom, but other than that, it is a very weak crest. My crest comes with the responsibility of knowing and remembering things. This is why I remember it."  
  
They sat there a moment, then Kari asked, "What did it feel like?"  
  
Izzy paused, wondering how to give this answer. "I felt.. whole, strong, and brave. I didn't exactly know how to react at first. Neither did Joe. We were one. It was so weird. I knew Joe- every thing about him, his fears, his gosh darn million allergies. And he knew me the same way.. And yet, I had those fears. I had those allergies. We were like one being, literally. It was very hard to keep my personal self."  
  
Kari smiled, then grew serious. "You .. well, you two also said that we can also do this.. jogress thing. What does this mean?"  
  
"It means that things are probably going to be a lot weirder around here. I can already figure out mostly who is going to jogress with who.. or at least, make a logical guess. T.K. and Matt, but also Matt and Tai have a chance. Mimi & Sora, and you and Sora as well. It's.. difficult. Something happened to me while I was joined. I don't know what, but something tells me that I'm not exactly the same old Izzy that once was."  
  
Kari laughed. "Why should you be? After an experience like that!"  
  
Izzy grew serious. "Just tell no one that I remember all this. Got me, Kari?"  
  
"But why?"  
  
"Because they need to find out on their own." He glanced up at the stars. "We still have a long way to go, don't we?"  
  
"Oh yes," piped in Tentomon, who had just sat down. "Izzy.. I.."  
  
"I know," said Izzy. "Don't let the other digimon know."  
  
Kari yawned. "I guess we all learned something from this experience. It's different to be older."  
  
Izzy just stared into the stars. "Yes. It sure is different to switch views."  
  
The two children and Tentomon fell asleep under the stars, getting ready for the hard journey ahead of them, and their destinies to unfold..  
  
  
  
Well? What did you think? I'm not sure yet if I should make a sequel, I got writer's block on this one as it is! But please let me know if you'd like to read a sequel; I was thinking along the lines of Season 02. Oh, and please no flames. :)  



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